1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to semiconductor devices, and more particularly to charge sensors formed using inverted lateral bipolar junction transistors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, different types of sensors are fabricated for the detection of different materials/substances. For example, Geiger counters are used to detect the radiation dose and provide a real-time but semi-quantitative readout. Personal radiation dosimeters in the form of wearable badges are available but cannot provide real time readout. Bio-sensors, depending on the materials to detect, include quite different structures, which very often require a certain amount of time for readout due to the reaction/detection mechanism. Moreover, better resolution/sensitivity requires longer processing time, which sometimes involves special instruments only available in laboratories, limiting the portability of bio-sensors.